Electric Ladies
by Old Emerald Eye
Summary: The CatCo chopper reports the sighting of a flying woman in a uniform that is distinctly lacking in red white and blue. Cat decides to get the scoop, and steamrolls right through Kara's objections. It's not like Supergirl isn't going to pop out of the woodwork in the nick of time, now is it Kiera?


There's an announcement of a flying woman above CatCo Plaza. By the continuously updating standards of National City, flying is the only noteworthy thing about her. There's no destruction, no demands – although it would be hard for anyone to get close enough to ask questions, it's possible and getting more likely that someone will try by the minute, which does nothing to alleviate Kara's stress levels from where she's stuck in CatCo, and who knows how she would react to that – and no wilful rearrangement of reality, which always leaves a mess. She's just ... hovering there.

It's enough to drive a superhero mad with anticipation.

Kara is seconds away from jumping out a window and making up an excuse about the printer for when she returns when Cat declares she wants an interview. Kara thinks that it's far too dangerous, and says so. Cat replies that if that's her opinion, she may as well come along, although what she thinks her very human, perfectly normal assistant with substandard vision can add to the situation is anyone's guess.

Following a tension filled car journey – Cat's driver can move almost as fast as Kara, even through traffic - they enter the nearest building to the figure, using the powerful combination of purposeful speedwalking and the fact that it's Cat Grant doing the walking to gain access to the stairwell, because there is no way Cat Grant is using public elevators, especially ones that are so public.  
A significant amount of time later, when they finally reach three stories from the top, Kara gives into the fact that Cat's not going to allow herself to be dissuaded and mutters a reluctant Meet us on the roof under her breath. She's regretting this already. She feels so much less confident without the Supergirl suit on, and Cat – when she's around Cat it's like she's invisible and transparent and tiny but also catastrophically noticeable at the same time

She lets Cat take the lead once they reach the access door, hovering in the doorway, fiddling with her glasses, doing her best Clark Kent slump. Doesn't look directly at Astra. All of which has exactly zero effect, because the first words out of Astra's mouth are "Kara, who is this?" and oh no, no, no.  
That is _exactly_ the sort of thing Cat Grant does not pass up on.

"Kiera? You know this woman?"

Kara knows that Cat is looking at her, knows the way her head will be tilted just so, one eyebrow will be ever so slightly higher than the other, but she can't look, because then Cat will know -

"Of course. She is my n-"

"Astra! She doesn't know."

Cat breaks in to what looks to be developing into quite the family confrontation. "Of course I know."

"You do?" Kara looks so much like a confused puppy that Cat can't help but roll her eyes. "Honestly, Kiera."

"Ms Grant, you can't tell anybody. My sister –"

Astra interrupts their back and forth, just as Cat is breathing in to begin a speil on how she can, surprisingly enough, go exactly what she wants, government agencies be damned.

"You have a sister? A human?"

A human family? That explains her reluctance to join the cause, if she and the rest of the humans – like the Brave One – think they intend only death for the inhabitants of this planet.

Kara looks uncomfortable, like a puppy caught with treats. It's an almost exact replica of the time Cat saw her eating M&M's. Cat's M&M's. All M&M's that enter CatCo automatically belong to Cat, and have ever since Kara switched them out for her scotch. It's a moot point, really – no one else dares eat in the pen, and Kara's meant to bring Cat food.

Tries to deflect by appealing to Cat. "Aren't you supposed to be interviewing her?"

Cat and Astra exchange glances, silently weighing the value of the information to be gained here versus the odds of success if each of them goes after Kara alone at a later date, and turn back to her.

"Oh, I'm sure there'll be time for that later. In fact, I see no reason your. . ."

"Aunt."

"Aunt," the word is smug, the way Cat savors it, rolls it in her mouth like an m'n'm before letting it out even more so, "can't see you at CatCo," Kara's face falls as she imagines Alex's reaction, Cat, turning to lock eyes with Astra, either doesn't notice or is too used to the response to dignify it with a visible response "provided she agrees to give me a soundbite every now and again?" Her tone takes the question and twists it into an offer.

Astra shrugs. They turn to face her, a united if vertically uncoordinated front. Unfair. They ought to be enemies. Not that Kara wants them fighting. That would be ... nope.

(Not that she thinks that either would lose, exactly. That just not something they're intrinsically capable of. Even when she's actively working to stop Astra from doing ... something, that's not the same as trying to _defeat_ her.)

"For now, we're interested in you."

At a loss and with limited options – she can't throw Ms Grant off a building, can't start fighting her aunt in front of her – Kara tries the old civilian in danger trick to escape. It's one of Kal's favorites and since she became Supergirl, it's had an almost hundred percent success rate around those in the know.

Astra grabs her arm, does her own check of the situation, and raises an eyebrow that's almost as intimidating as Ms Grant's.

"The feline is being assisted as we speak."

Cat raises an eyebrow of her own. Kara pouts dejectedly, to no visible effect.

Make that a ninety nine percent success rate.


End file.
